Payment dispute seller protections

• Protections, eligibility requirements and exclusions
• When a buyer opens a payment dispute because they didn't receive the item or they don't recognize the transaction
• When a buyer opens a payment dispute because the item doesn't match the listing
• Dispute fees, payment holds, and reimbursements
• Appeals and duplicate claims
• Other terms and related policies

If a buyer files a payment dispute, the seller may be eligible for payment dispute seller protection.

When a buyer opens a dispute with their payment institution (for example, their credit card provider or PayPal), the payment institution will inform eBay of the dispute and initiate a process to resolve the dispute with the buyer. eBay will collect information about the transaction and help the seller build evidence to defend the dispute.

The final outcome of the dispute is decided by the payment institution. If the payment institution determines that the buyer is owed a refund, eBay will refund the buyer and will then seek reimbursement from the seller for the refunded amount. However, the seller may be eligible for payment dispute seller protections by eBay. For details on how these protections work – which transactions are eligible or excluded, and what sellers need to do – please read eBay’s full policy below.

Protections, eligibility requirements and exclusions

Payment dispute seller protections may apply when the buyer opens a payment dispute for one of the following reasons:

• They didn't receive the item
• They don't recognize the transaction or have an issue with the transaction
• The item they received doesn't match the listing

For a seller to be eligible for payment dispute seller protections:

• The transaction must meet the requirements specified in this policy
• The seller must respond to the payment dispute and take action within the required time frames
• If challenging the payment dispute, the seller must provide the required evidence
• The seller may not be in violation of the User Agreement

eBay may automatically apply seller protections to a dispute without requiring the seller to respond or take action on the dispute. If eBay applies the protections automatically, it won't charge a dispute fee or seek reimbursement from the seller if the dispute is resolved with a full refund to the buyer.

When a buyer opens a payment dispute because they didn't receive the item or they don't recognize the transaction

When a buyer opens a payment dispute because they didn't receive the item or they don't recognize the transaction, sellers will be asked to provide:

• Evidence of successful delivery to the address provided by the buyer at checkout, or
• Proof that the buyer collected the item

If eBay determines that the item was successfully delivered or picked up:

• They will not seek reimbursement from the seller for the disputed amount, even if the payment institution decides that the buyer is owed a refund; and
• They will waive or refund the seller's dispute fee

Evidence of successful delivery

Tracking information from a shipping carrier that shows all of the following:

• A delivery status of "delivered" (or equivalent in the country to which the item was delivered);
• The date of delivery;
• The recipient's address that matches the one found on the Order details page, including the city/county or zip code (or international equivalent); and
• For orders with a total cost of $750 or more, proof that signature confirmation was purchased (uploaded as an image when challenging the dispute). Learn more about eBay's signature confirmation requirements

Evidence of successful pickup

For In-store pickup items, the seller must provide evidence that includes all of the following:

• Order ID number
• Item number
• Item title
• Amount paid
• Date of collection
• Buyer's signature confirming collection
• Buyer's photo ID that was presented at the time of collection (if available)
• Address of pickup store or location

When a buyer opens a payment dispute because the item doesn't match the listing

When a buyer opens a payment dispute because the item they received doesn't match the listing, sellers will be asked to provide evidence to challenge the payment dispute, such as photographs showing the item's condition prior to shipment.

• When determining whether to protect a seller, eBay will look for one of the following:
• The seller issued a full refund to the buyer through eBay
• The seller issued a refund to the buyer through eBay, but deducted an amount from the refund because the item was returned used or damaged (in accordance with the guidelines)
• An eBay Money Back Guarantee case of the same type for the same transaction that was already resolved with:
  • eBay determining that the seller met their obligations to the buyer, or
  • eBay issuing a full refund to the buyer

If eBay determines that the transaction is eligible for protections:

• They will not seek reimbursement from the seller for the disputed amount, even if the payment institution decides that the buyer is owed a refund; and
• They will waive or refund the seller's dispute fee

Dispute fees, payment holds, and reimbursements

Dispute fees

When a buyer files a payment dispute, the seller will be charged a dispute fee if they are found responsible for the disputed amount. eBay will waive the dispute fee if the dispute is eligible for payment dispute seller protections.

Sellers will not be charged more than one dispute fee for an order.

Seller payment holds

At the time the buyer files a payment dispute, the seller's funds may be held by eBay as outlined in the article about payments on hold. The hold may be in place for up to 90 calendar days.

Seller reimbursements to eBay

As described in this policy, eBay may determine that the seller is not eligible for payment dispute seller protections. If the seller is not eligible and the buyer's payment institution decides that the buyer is owed a refund, eBay will seek reimbursement from the seller in accordance with eBay’s User Agreement and Payments Terms of Use.

eBay will seek reimbursement by:

• Deducting the refund amount from the seller payouts that have not yet been disbursed, or
• If the seller funds are not sufficient to cover the refund, eBay will charge the refund amount to the seller's on-file payment method

If reimbursement is unsuccessful, eBay reserves the right to seek reimbursement through other means.

Appeals and duplicate claims

Appeals

If eBay determines that a seller is not eligible for payment dispute seller protections, the seller can submit an appeal by contacting eBay within 30 calendar days from the date the payment dispute outcome was communicated. As part of reviewing an appeal, eBay may ask the seller to provide additional documentation.

eBay reserves the right to make final decisions.

Duplicate claims

Buyers can't use more than one resolution method to get a refund. If a buyer opens a payment dispute with their payment institution, the seller must respond to the payment dispute. eBay will close any open order cancellations, reports that an item hasn't arrived, return requests, or eBay Money Back Guarantee cases for the same transaction.

Other terms and related policies

• eBay may provide a seller's contact information to the payment institution or the buyer in accordance with the Payments Terms of Use and as set out in the User Privacy Notice
• The seller allows eBay to access the shipping information of the relevant shipping service provider to verify the delivery of an item and grants eBay access to this information if necessary
• In some cases, the payment institution may reopen a closed payment dispute. In this situation, eBay will notify the seller and may request that they provide additional information to challenge the dispute

Activity on eBay is required to:

• Follow all applicable laws
• Respect the rights of third parties
• Follow the eBay User Agreement
• Follow this eBay policy

If activity doesn’t meet these requirements, eBay may take action consistent with applicable laws and the eBay User Agreement, and may even be legally required to do so. Such actions may include, as an example only: administratively ending listings or canceling transactions, hiding or lowering the placement of listings in search results, lowering seller rating, restricting buying or selling, forfeiture of fees, loss of buyer or seller protections, restricting access to member communication and rating tools, removing feedback, and account suspension.

You may be also interested in:

• Handling payment disputes
• Setting buyer requirements or blocking a buyer
• Payments on hold
• When you need signature confirmation
• Seller protections